Chapter 14

“Is it okay to put it here?”

“Yes, please place it there. I can handle the rest of the booth setup on my own from here.”

“Alright, got it. I’ll head to Seoul for a bit and come back later in the evening.”

“Yes, see you later.”

With a nod, Hayoon thanked Min Jeong-kyun for his help all the way from Ilsan.

It was their first time working together at an event like this. Especially one where cosplay was planned – something Hayoon would never have imagined happening.

But…

“Next time we come together, we should grab a meal. Maybe I’ll look up some good restaurants in Ilsan.”

Deep down, Hayoon had hoped this might help improve her relationship with her gruff father. Even if it wasn’t specifically for this event, spending time together as a family would naturally bring them closer over time.

Hayoon wished this life would bring her a warmer family relationship.

“Should I start setting up…?”

She took out the vibrant tablecloth to cover the dull gray folding table provided by the organizers.

Next, she placed the wooden sign that simply read “Haru” on one side of the table.

And then…

“Place the mat on the left.”

The HK-M4 in a bunny girl outfit used a small easel purchased online to prop up the poker table mat at an angle. It would catch more attention this way compared to just laying it flat on the ground.

“Stand in the center.”

Next came the acrylic stand. To match the eye level of the mat on the easel, Hayoon placed the acrylic stand of the HK-M4 wearing hanbok and kimono on top of a cubic wooden object she brought from home.

This setup maintained a cohesive design aesthetic with the wooden easel holding the mat.

“Place the frame holder on the right.”

Finally, by hanging the frame holder’s hook on the top of the easel, the sight of the HK-M4 in a swimsuit was fully displayed, completing the table setup.

“These illustrations turned out really nice.”

With a grin, Hayoon smiled satisfied after checking the booth’s appearance through photos taken from a distance.

Perhaps it was the beauty of understated aesthetics. Though only four items were prepared, creating a potential empty table…

‘The empty spaces will be filled by people.’

Hayoon had already surpassed 10 million won in pre-sales. With the number of people coming to collect goods, certainly over 200, her booth was bound to be constantly crowded.

And when that happened…

‘People will wonder why there are so many people at my booth.’

Naturally, their attention would be drawn to the goods crafted by Hayoon.

And then?

‘It’s over.’

Though only four items were available, once people were drawn in by the crowd and examined the details of the decorated goods…

It would be over.

Desire to purchase would skyrocket in an instant.

And as for Hayoon’s illustrations?

Once the thought of wanting to buy came, the temptation was impossible to resist due to their near-perfect quality.

“Hmm, hehe…”

Truly, it was a perfect plan.

Satisfied with her strategy, Hayoon grabbed the shopping bag containing her cosplay props and headed toward the changing room. Time was almost up, so she planned to quickly change and get ready.

#

“Is the timing more or less right?”

After finishing her makeup and costume change, Hayoon returned to the exhibition hall transformed into a proper cosplayer.

With her elegant cosplay complete, she headed toward her booth. She neatly arranged the folding chair provided by the organizers with a black cloth to conceal its simplicity.

“Now, all that’s left is to wait.”

Leaning her gun against the table, she began fiddling with her phone while sitting on the cloth-covered chair.

Current time: 9:58 AM.

Early bird ticket holders would begin entering at 10:00 AM, so it wouldn’t be long now.

“I wonder how many will come…”

Tick.

Tick.

The sound of a clock ticking echoed in Hayoon’s mind, and before long…

“Waaah!”

“Wowwww!”

A powerful roar reverberated through the vast KINTEX.

Checking the time, it was exactly 10:00 AM, the moment when her customers would start arriving.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Sure enough, the sound of dozens of footsteps resonated, shaking the entire exhibition hall. Hayoon set her phone down on the table and firmly gripped her gun, ready to fulfill her duties as a cosplayer.

“Is this posture alright?”

She took an alluring pose with the gun’s barrel pressed against her chest, making herself appear as if she were otherworldly.

Her unique appearance was one that anyone passing by would surely notice. Calmly, she stared straight ahead.

“F, F3 booth…”

“That way, over there!”

As people hurriedly checked booth arrangements on their phones, Hayoon proudly maintained her pose.

All it took was one person. One person to draw the crowd.

Once the crowd gathered, thoughts like “What’s going on at that booth to have such a long line?” or “What’s special about that booth to let people take photos with the cosplayer?” would naturally arise.

And once attention was captured, the well-crafted goods would do the rest.

Just one person.

“Come on, anyone, anyone…”

Hayoon was confident that once one person came, took photos, and completed a purchase, the rest would flow smoothly.

Desperately waiting for just one visitor without changing her expression, only moving her eyes…

“Huh?”

Fortunately, someone had just stopped nearby, their surprised voice echoing.

It’s done.

#

This young man, soon to turn nineteen, went by the fixed nickname M4 Agabang Security Guard in the Girl’s War community.

Do Jin-ho clenched his fist as the long line finally began to move quickly after inching forward for so long.

Having rushed to Ilsan right after school ended on a Friday, skipping sleep to stay through the night, Do Jin-ho had the honor of being in the lead group entering the exhibition hall.

“Phew…”

Do Jin-ho took a deep breath as he entered the exhibition hall.

Even for someone like him, who had participated in many fan events, staying up for the night queue from the previous evening was a first.

Though the urge to collapse into bed in the corner was overwhelming, this moment was when he truly felt the reward for enduring the long wait.

“Let’s get moving.”

After a brief rest, Do Jin-ho started moving toward the booth of the artist he always visited during these events.

He planned to first pick up his pre-ordered items there before proceeding as usual.

After receiving the pre-ordered goods, he intended to stash them comfortably with the padding and then enjoy taking photos with cosplayers and exploring booths for additional purchases.

Having attended these events for several years, Do Jin-ho was very satisfied with his strategy, and he planned to follow the same routine this year too.

Or so he thought.

If only, among the booths his gaze briefly passed over, there hadn’t been a Girl’s War booth…

And if only that booth’s manager hadn’t been cosplaying as his favorite, HK-M4…

“Huh?”

The instant that realization hit.

A lightning bolt struck Do Jin-ho’s mind.

Girl’s War booth.

HK-M4.

And cosplay.

“Here…”

This was Haru’s booth that had been advertised on the gallery.

It had to be.

No question about it…

“Why…”

Isn’t it beautiful?

Considering the pathological level of detail in the original illustrations used for the goods production…

Haru and Do Jin-ho were clearly kindred spirits…

Yet the Haru standing in front of Do Jin-ho now was nothing less than the living incarnation of HK-M4.

“Wow…”

An involuntary gasp escaped him.

Clearly, what was in front of Do Jin-ho was a typical convention booth, perhaps even looking shabby.

Yet with just one cosplayer and a chair covered in black fabric, the atmosphere completely changed.

As if claiming to be the adjective ‘angry’ itself, an impressively strong-willed woman with high-quality cosplay props.

The mysteriously atmospheric chair covered with a black cloth and the adjacent table seemed like…

“Amazing…”

It was creating the illusion that Do Jin-ho had visited a weapon arsenal within the Girl’s War game.

The high synchronization rate cosplayer and the strangely convincing chair and table overwhelmed Do Jin-ho from the very atmosphere.

“Could I take a photo with you?”

“Of course!”

And there Do Jin-ho stood, entranced, approaching Haru to request a photo. And Haru…

Hayoon had been waiting for just this reaction, smiling brightly and tilting her head slightly to pose.

In the process, their shoulders lightly touched, and Hayoon’s fragranced hair swayed before Do Jin-ho’s eyes…

“Ah, I’ll take the photo…”

Completely captivated by Hayoon’s aura, Do Jin-ho trembled as he took the selfie. He had no time to manage his expression.

His gaze was completely drawn to the appearance of Hayoon, the very incarnation of HK-M4 in front of him.

And after taking a couple of selfies…

“Ah, goods…”

He remembered the pre-ordered goods.

He had won the event raffle but hadn’t canceled the separate pre-order.

Though his plans had become a bit disordered, he thought he should at least receive those items…

“I… pre-ordered some items from this booth…”

He revealed this fact through his faltering words.

“Ah, is that so? Could you tell me your name, please?”

“Kim Jin-ho!”

Thus, a standard exchange between a booth operator and pre-order customer began.

“Could you also provide your nickname?”

“Huh…?”

Do Jin-ho felt cold sweat running down his back at Ha-yoon’s piercing question.

“See, there were quite a lot of pre-orders this time around, so we have several people with the same name. We also need the community nickname you provided in the survey to correctly distribute the goods.”

“Why…?”

“We can’t make mistakes with such an important part. We don’t have infinite stock. It would be a major issue if we gave them out incorrectly.”

“T, that…”

“What is your nickname?”

“E, Em… A…”

“Ag?”

“Agabang… Security… Guard.”

“Ah…”

It was a far too crude nickname to say in front of a woman.

‘Crap, I should have changed my nickname before signing up.’

He deeply regretted his choice.

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